Antidepressant effect of acupuncture and its influence on peripheral inflammatory cytokines

ZHU Wenxian; WANG Jun; WANG Qunsong; JI Xiangdong; and YUAN Guozhen

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Medical Journal of the Chinese People Armed Police Forces ›› 2017, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (8) : 816-819.

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Antidepressant effect of acupuncture and its influence on peripheral inflammatory cytokines

ZHU Wenxian, WANG Jun, WANG Qunsong, JI Xiangdong, and YUAN Guozhen

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Abstract

Objective To verify the synergistic antidepressant effect of acupuncture for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) on major depressive disorder (MDD), and to explore its influence on peripheral inflammatory cytokines.Methods Sixty-one MDD patients were randomly divided into the trial group (n=30, treated with SSRI combined with acupuncture) and the control group (n=31, treated with SSRI alone). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD, 24 items version) was used to estimate the severity of depression at baseline and after 3 weeks and 6 weeks of treatment, respectively. Asberg Rating Scale for Side Effects (SERS) was employed to evaluate the severity of side effects at the end of 6 weeks of treatment. Peripheral concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α were tested at baseline and towards the end of 6 weeks of treatment.Results (1)The HAMD scores in both groups decreased significantly over time. There was no significant difference between the two groups at baseline (P>0.05),but these scores were significantly lower after 3 and 6 weeks of treatment in the trial group than in the control group (both P<0.05). (2)There was no significant difference in peripheral concentrations of IL-6 or TNF-α at baseline (both P<0.05), but these concentrations significantly decreased after treatment in both groups, and they were lower in the trial group after 6 weeks of treatment (P<0.05). (3)There was no significant difference between the two groups in SERS scores.Conclusions Our result confirms the synergistic antidepressant effect of acupuncture for SSRI on MDD, and suggests that its antidepressant effect may be related to its anti-inflammatory effects.

Key words

acupuncture / major depressive disorder / interleukin 6 / tumor necrosis factor α / selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

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ZHU Wenxian, WANG Jun, WANG Qunsong, JI Xiangdong, and YUAN Guozhen. Antidepressant effect of acupuncture and its influence on peripheral inflammatory cytokines[J]. Medical Journal of the Chinese People Armed Police Forces. 2017, 28(8): 816-819

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